


Night of the RepoHunter

by geneticallyemancipated



Series: The RepoHunter and the Repoman's Daughter [1]
Category: Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Roleplay Logs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:33:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27474328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geneticallyemancipated/pseuds/geneticallyemancipated
Summary: It's the night of the Genetic Opera, and Blind Mag's final performance is the talk of the town. Young RepoHunter Matthaeu Arestevik is given the assignment to take out GeneCo's top Repoman, but things get a little complicated when he finds out more about his target, specifically the fact he has a sick daughter hidden from the world.Prequel to my fic "Attempted Reconciliation", except these are RP logs!
Relationships: Shilo Wallace & Original Character, Shilo Wallace/Original Character(s)
Series: The RepoHunter and the Repoman's Daughter [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2010160
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick note, this fic are in RP log form, which shifts perspectives between characters.
> 
> Thus far, Shilo Wallace and Nathan (thus far), while madxhatterxteapot (organectrepohunter on tumblr) plays Rotti Largo and her characters (Matt, Delores, Mikhail, the Madame, Nathaniel *not Shilo's dad*, etc.). Hope you enjoy!

“I’m sorry Mr. Largo…They found Rordan last night face down in a pool of his own blood.”

The paperwork beneath the elder Largo’s hand shifted. He gripped the pen in his tightly, gaze slowly lifting to the GeneCop in front of him. His lip curled at the corners of his mouth into a sneer. “I didn’t authorize his termination…” Pushing back a bit in his seat, Rotti folded his hands and twiddled his fingers. An alarming thought came to mind then. “Nathan Wallace?” 

The informant cocked a brow behind his gas mask and a chuckled. "No sir, the surveillance saw Nathan Wallace returned home earlier in the evening. He did not leave the household.” His smile soon faded and he cleared his throat as he regained himself. “There is…speculation our men are being hunted…to put us out of business.” 

_“Hunted?”_ The old man’s head shot up from the widened and his brow twitched in fury. “By who?” 

The officer shifted slightly on the spot, staring at the shag rug beneath his feet. “…OrganEct.” 

His lump lodged in his throat. His eyes bulged slightly. He was riled. If the financial troubles hadn’t been enough, these “amateurs” thought they could put him out of business. Sales had been up at the time and Repossessions were going well, considering sales and payments were ahead of schedule. 

One night, everything changed in a matter of 30 seconds. A small, crudely done commercial aired. They called themselves OrganEct. _‘Low down payments and plans available. Live Longer without fear.’ 'Cheap. Effective. Less Consequential.’ 'It’s Zydrate, now less addictive! Route your road to recover with Z-2.0’_

Since OrganEct came into operation, like a blackmarket for medicine, things changed. Repo Men started disappearing; good men he put out on the streets came back in pieces with their organs missing. Whoever the fool was that thought they could outsmart Rotti Largo would not best him. He was a god among men with GeneCo. The only problem was his time was running out. The man who cured the globe could not stop his own extinction. 

"Sir?” The officer piped up, attempting to drag his employer from his thoughts. 

“What?!” A snarl ruptured from Rotti’s through, allowing a ragged cough to expel afterwards. 

“What is it you want done?” 

OrganEct was very discreet about what they did and their sales always were monitored by hired lookouts or personal salemen on the street. Whenever approached by security to ask about information, the informants disappeared or his men ended up dead or missing. It was as though they were ghosts and moved underground back and forth. 

“…Find out what you can.” He coughed into a handkerchief, clearing his throat. “I want to get my hands on the bastards that are hunting our men. And keep an eye on Nathan Wallace…can’t have him skipping out on his debts.” 

\- 

_Bum bum. Bum bum. Bum bum._

When his heart raced it only meant one thing: The kill was near. Ever since he first got into dealing zydrate, it all went into a completely different direction. Sometimes he blamed it on his natural instincts of observation. Training with a fraternity of assassins somehow gave him that rush of adrenaline when he slayed his victims. Each hunter had set of adhering rules to their kill. His involved no women (unless they were Repo-men themselves), no kids, and GeneCo customers up for repossession. 

Matthaeu Arestevik could not deny he was a killer, but there was an art form to each kill. You had to do it right, do it quick, and get out before you were caught. Sometimes free will felt like an illusion in his career. Sometimes the Madame dictated certain rules he had to follow, other times he was allowed to do as he wished. Tonight he could only hope it would be a quick few hours and he could add to his quota for more pay. 

If he was caught, he’d be ready. He’d trained to get out of most situations, dangerous or otherwise. Sometimes he had a slip up, but mostly he was careful. His accidents caused Dolores to worry sometimes. Most mothers did he supposed. He left the apartment and made certain to leave a note for his mother. The TTY was broken and the landlord wouldn’t fix it any time soon., He’d return later after dropping off organs, for now it was time to hunt. 

He was 5'8 approximately. Perhaps a few inches taller than what he really was. He was scrawny, but lean. His skin was tanned, an unusual trait amongst the people that lived around here. People cooped themselves up inside or only came out at night. The doctor said his pigment was genetic and his birth mother a foreigner, apparently from what Dolores told him. Rust coloured hair fell over his goggles briefly, but he didn’t let that get in the way of his vision. 

His garb consisted of specially made boots that buckled instead of tied together, and the buckles flecked out on the sides of the black boots. The tunic he wore underneath was specifically striped with brown and white, while his pants were stitched up in many places from the wear and tear they had endured. 

There was a chill in the night air, so he wore his coat that was made of some strange fur probably scalped from the big brown beast it came from for his coat had a hood upon it with the ears of the creature left in for the savage design of it. 

He wandered town for a bit and caught a woman arguing with a vendor about taxes gong up again. Their conversation gave him little interest and as he trekked along he overheard a more fitting conversation between two Repo-Men. Though they were not in uniform at this current moment in time, Matthaeu knew they were GeneCo’s ilk. Glancing at his watch, he watched another message pop up this time more urgent. 

_Valenzo Cortez and Ernest Borgnine. Take Them out._

They were discussing about a fellow Repo-Man he had dispatched last night and as he passed by them they paused to give him a good once over. “Hey, kid. You interested in some GeneCo products?” 

Typical. They were selling their bullshit again. Matthaeu paused and turned to face them. “Products?” He scoffed. “You couldn’t pay me to use your fraudulent services…” 

"What did you say?!” They unsheathed their weapons, approaching. They were bigger than him, taller, but that meant nothing to Matthaeu. “Big talk for such a little thug. Must be suicidal. Healthy organs always sell from guys like him.” 

One moved behind him and the other in front, before lashing out towards Matthaeu. His instinctual need to move when approached was quick reflexes. One scalpel stabbed towards his the front and the other around his back. He moved, ducking beneath both of the RepoMen before he whipped out his tonfa blades. His first strike he cut into an Achilles’ tendon, and impaled the first in the knee before he kicked the other in the face and moved under the sharp slashing tool. 

Their tactics were the same. Gang up on the seemingly weaker fellow and use brute force and 'strength’ to take down their foe. They moved. They were too slow. They were too dimwitted to react quickly enough to his quick reflexes. 

It figured. They were just as weak and predictable as their fallen comrade last night. They failed to react quickly enough to his agility, his precision, and his ferocity. They were already doomed from the beginning. He impaled the second through the neck and then took his head clean off with his blades crossed at the throat. Blood splattered on the brown of his vest and he spun watching the other back away and run. 

Wasting no time, Matthaeu took off in hot pursuit, keeping pace and weaving through the addicts staggering about before he slid forwards and cut the Repoman in the back of his knees. 

“Arrrrrgh!” He fell, bleeding and begging. His hands covered in blood, he attempted to crawl away from Matthaeu. "No! Oh please, no! God don’t kill me! I’ll-I’ll tell you what, I won’t tell anyone you’re a Repo Hunter! PLEASE! I’ll-I’ll come and work for OrganEct!” His pleas fell on deaf ears. 

Stopping for a moment, the boy gazed down at his target, tilting his head to the side. Lifting his goggles, a pair of red eyes focused on the man in disgust before scanning his watch over him. _Healthy organs detected, liver infection detected (avoid at all costs)._

The beep of the watch confirmed what Matthaeu needed to know and he shook his head at the Repoman. “No! Oh no. Plea-“ With one sharp slice, he cut the man’s head off, making quick work of him, dragging the bodies into an alleyway where he removed the healthy organs. 

As he finished his work, his watch beeped again and when he took another look at it he closed the message. 

_Nathan Wallace. Rotti Largo’s top Repo Man._

_Location: Quarter and Main._

_Dispatch him._

“Affirmative…” He uttered, cleaning off his blades and tucking his organ pack into his backpack before heading off in the direction of the local carnival. Time to scope out his next target. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

After about an hour of hanging out in her mother’s tomb and hunting for insects, Shilo Wallace snuck back into her house through the secret passageway by the staircase. Sometimes she would sneak out while her father was out work and other times she’d sneak out in the dead of night when he was asleep. Tonight’s case had been the latter (or at least she hoped so). She didn’t really capture anything spectacular this time, but she did almost manage to get a glowing dragonfly. Sadly, the winged bug was quick and got away before Shilo was able to get it. 

To prevent making any noise on the stairs, she slipped off her high heel boots and slowly tiptoed up the stairs. She kept her boots in one arm, holding them by the bottoms, and with her other hand she held up her messenger bag to keep it from hitting the stairs or making any rattling noise. She reached the top of the stairs and tiptoed extra carefully by her father’s bedroom door before approaching her own. Carefully, she released her bag and used that hand to slowly turn the knob of her door. Entering her bedroom, she slowly closed the door behind her and took the key out of the pocket of one of her coats hung on the rack to lock the door. 

She placed down her bag and shoes onto the ground and took off her mask. Usually, she’d take out her newly collected insects to add to her collection, but as she didn’t have any new additions tonight, she decided to call it a night and head to bed. She changed from her outerwear into her white nightgown and placed her raven wig onto the styrofoam mannequin head before pushing back the clear, plastic curtains and crawling into her covers. 

Someday, she hoped her father would find a cure for her blood disease she had inherited from her mother so she could live her life outside of her bedroom and not have to keep sneaking out just to have a taste of the world and having the closest things to friends being the insects she captured. She had already missed a good portion of her life being locked in her cage that is her illness, and life in isolation had gotten boring years ago. 

Secretly, she resented both of her parents for how her life was. Her mother since she was the one who gave her the disease, and her father for taking so long to find a cure for her. Sometimes she wondered if her father was taking his time because he didn’t want her to leave. He was clearly protective of her, scolding her each time she missed her medicine and constantly telling her how cruel the world was. On a few occasions, she had a memory of something happening, only to pass out and wake up to be told that what she had experienced never happened. It was probably the medicine messing with her brain. It did make her lose all her hair after all. 

She reached back out of the plastic to click off her lamp before laying back down to fall asleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

_When the target comes into sight, take him out._

He could feel the vibration of the holowatch around his wrist, repeating the Madame’s message. The reminder of how urgent this mission was gradually was starting to annoy him. Reddish-brown eyes glanced down at his wrist again, slowly watching the little green light blink repeatedly before he raised it up to his lips. 

“Understood, if target is failed to be seen tonight, the task will be completed soon enough.” His reply felt hollow though, as though he didn’t want to go through with this one. 

His heart began to beat in his chest again, eyes shifting from his watch to the surroundings. The bright lights of the inner city were a different environment from his tolerable isolation. The quiet outskirts of his side of town did not compare to the flashy lights and colourful characters skirting about the carnival. 

Securing his cooler pack (cleverly disguised as a small backpack), he moved like a ghost throughout the various people. Careful to avoid eye contact with any of the vendors, Matthaeu kept his head down and eyes opened to the world around him. The sickeningly tinny carnival music wasn’t what started his headache initially; it was the drone of one of these clowns playing one of Blind Mag’s cheap records. _Sellout._ He told himself, glancing at a poster hanging in front of him, detailing “The Voice of GeneCo” and her last night. 

His watch buzzed again, and he stooped down to make it look like he was fixing one of the straps on his boot so he could read it. When he looked up again, in the distance he could see Rotti Largo guiding Blind Mag through the crowds of people, with Pavi Largo unwittingly following after him. Not too far along…Luigi Largo sauntered behind his brother, the curl of his lip issuing a sneer as the siblings bickered in the background. 

He could feel the gradual tension increase in his body, his head slowly turning towards the majority of the Largo family and their direction towards the stage. /You could do it now, you know. You could take them out, one by one./ He thought to himself, but felt perhaps he might be letting some smidgen of pride speak. Once they were out of sight, Matthaeu rose to his feet and exhaled a deep breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. /Don’t kid yourself; you’d be mad to do it. You’re not Mikhail and you don’t want to be./ 

His mouth felt dry at this moment and when he glanced down at his watch, it was a message from the Madame. 

_Area is not secure, abort pursuit for Nathan Wallace this evening. Return to mission status at 0800. Divert to Zydrate retrieval instead. That is all._

“Affirmative…” He muttered into the receiver. /Fuck/ That complicated things but his employer preferred her hunters alive than dead. She needed all of the hunters she could get for her agenda. 

Eventually, he returned to the quieter side of town and towards the graveyards on the eastern outskirts. He’d often cut through here to get home, but these days he had to be careful. Zydrate extractions were as equally risky because he’d have to kill GeneCops if caught. The graveyard seemed sparse of them in the dead of night, but he could never be sure and the Mortician house (at least that was what he knew it by) always had the front gate locked and secured to bar graverobbers and the like from it. 

He ducked down low behind a broken headstone at the sound of a helicopter above. Ruby orbs gazed up at the searchlights in the distance, before flitting to the glowing bug that suddenly landed on the shoulder of his vest. "Hyacintho lux cantharida.” He murmured the Latin context of the insects name before glancing over his shoulder warily to allow the creature to crawl into the palm of his hand. “…Evolution at its finest.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

_Medicine reminder. Medicine reminder. Medicate immediately._ The beeping of Shilo’s bracelet jerked her awake. She sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes and sighed tiredly. She was never a fan of late night medications. Usually she waited to go to sleep until after she took her nightly medication, but tonight she went to sleep a bit earlier. 

With a click of her lamp, she slipped out of her bed and groggily walked over to the table that held the jar of her pills. She twisted the lid off, took out a pill, and popped it into her mouth. Luckily, she still had some water in a cup that she brought in earlier to wash the pill down with. 

After downing the pill, she laid back down onto her bed. It was probably going to be a while before she drifted off to sleep again so she turned on the television. The first thing that flashed onto the screen was a commercial advertising Blind Mag’s final show. Shilo sighed, Mag had always been her hero. It was sad to see her retiring from her title as Voice of GeneCo. She’d always wanted to see her perform live, but of course she was forbidden from even stepping foot out of the house. 

The program following the commercial was actually a re-run of one of Mag’s previous shows. That woman’s voice, it truly spoke to her. It felt like an old friend comforting her, telling her that everything is going to be okay. Shilo aspired to become a famous singer just like her. She dreamed to someday meet her idol and get the chance of singing with her. She turned her head to see ‘Corpus Crusade Tour’ poster behind her headboard and smiled. 

_I’ll see you someday..._ she thought to herself. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Distractions. Distractions. In his brief moment of fascination with the insect, his peripherals finally recognized the figures of GeneCops patroling the graveyard. 

_Shit._

Matthaeu grunted, making sure to sling his pack over his shoulders and firmly tighten the straps. Anyone seen roaming graveyards were usually shot on site. Sneaking up on gunmen was easy in the streets, but hunting them in graveyards was a little more complicated. GeneCops couldn’t fire into the streets at will (unless they locked in on their Z-Dealer targets), but here it was free reign. Their shuffling footsteps were getting closer as the hunter rounded back towards the more elabourate mauseleum he passed by. 

_Ba-bum. Ba-Bum. Ba-Bum-Bum. Ba-Bum-Bum_

His hear beat at a different pace now. This wasn’t the thrill of the kill now. It was a different rush of adrenaline. The need to survive. He’d scaled buildings before and it looked like he’d have to do it again. He checked for his blades sheathed into slots on his boots before taking to gripping onto the nearest edge before pulling his bodyweight up using his arms. He was more adept and had a bit more durable upper body strength than he appeared in this sense. 

Once atop the mauseleum, his ruby gaze peered out at the GeneCops skulking the graveyard. A funeral seemed to be in process, so that offered an obvious distraction for them. The next option was the mortician’s house connected to the mauseleum and that would prove little challenge. Except, this foundation wasn’t like the solidified complexes in the inner city. He watched his footing and parkoured his way across the backend of the gravesite. 

His blades flicked out from his boots and he grabbed them just in time to be able to stab into the panels alongside of the roof. He could usually get one to stick (in some cases) and manage his way from there. Two was lucky; surprising even himself and he started his climb towards the balcony, once he found his footing and propper grip. 

The railing gave him enough room to put his tonfa back into his boots and grip onto the metal. He swung over it, and, uncharacteristically missed his footing so that his back hit the glass of the window with a dull “thud.” “Hnng!” The boy grunted, staggering a bit until he fell forward to catch himself on the railing. 

“Fuck!” He swore in a wheeze, nearly having the wind knocked out of him. From up here, he could view the GeneCops with ease. He could, at least, appear as though he lived there if their sights turned upwards. His holowatch beeped and he found himself quickly lifting it up to look at the wall of text that sprung into his vision. 

“Mum?” He said, confused before another list came up on his watch. “Yes. Mum…I’m…on my way home now. I’ll be late, got caught up with something for work.” He answered, the speech transferring itself into text as it sent. In seconds he received a reply back in multiple text code. “Uh…yes. Kitty litter, biscuits…milk, orange juice. Yeah…” He scratched the back of his head. “No, I’m fine. Might be late. Yes, I’ll be careful…I’ll be home soon.” He kept making his answers short, rapid, almost too eager to get off his watch with his mother. “Uh…yeah. Love you too mum…” His voice became smaller, almost inaudible on the last part before he switched off the speaker. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Shilo continued watching the TV from her bed. It got to a point where it became background noise and she began to nod off to sleep again. Her head would tilt as if she was about to fall asleep only for her to jolt awake. Finally giving up on fighting sleep, she rested her head onto the soft pillow. 

A sudden bang on the window prompted her to sit up in her bed, her sleepy eyes sprung open. She hopped up from her bed and drew open her curtains. Seeing a strange man outside her window nearly made her heart stop. Without a moment’s thought, she dashed out of her bedroom and knocked frantically on her father’s bedroom door. 

“Dad! Dad! There’s somebody outside my window!” She cried. A few moments went by without a reply and she banged on the door some more. “Dad! Please, wake up!” More silence. Shilo opened the bedroom door to find her father not in his bedroom. He must’ve still been at work. She could call her father, but she then realized she had taken her bracelet off in her bedroom. Quickly and quietly, she crept down the stairs and into the kitchen to grab a large butcher knife before walking back upstairs. 

Her bedroom door was still open, and she saw the mysterious man in the window from her doorway. His back was turned to her and it looked as if he was speaking into a communication device. She found her bracelet on the nightstand and hovered her fingers over the buttons, preparing to call her father. She dialed him up, only for him to not answer. 

“Damn it! Must be busy.” Him missing her calls happened on rare occasions, and he always called back shortly after. But Shilo didn’t have time to wait. She looked at the window, the man still had her back turned towards her. Slowly and quietly, she approached the window before unlatching it and pulling it inwards to open. 

“Who’s there!?” She shouted at the figure, pointing the blade out in front of her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The moment he hung up the phone, her exclamation caused him to spin. He exacted caution to take out his blades, opting for a defensive stance with fists raised when he viewed the sight of the girl in front of him. His breath was shaky, labored, almost anticipating _anything_ at this point. 

He was tense, keeping still as he gazed at her through his goggles. He recognized the knife in her hand as a potential weapon and his hands opened to raise slightly at her threatening stance. Cautiously he reached to raise his goggles so ruby orbs gazed at her and he spoke, careful to soften his tone. “You scared the shit out of me.” /Smooth, dickhead./ He thought to himself. “…Haven’t you ever seen a roofer before?” His quip wasn’t his best and there was a bit of Liverpool in his tone before he took a step back towards the railing. 

Warily, he peered below for any GeneCops. They were still crawling the graveyard. Hands still raised, he turned his gaze back towards the girl. She was a civillian. Maybe the Mortician’s daughter as he’d never seen the likes of her before and he never saw anyone come in and out of this house. /Do not give more information than you are asked. Do not get into conversation…/ 

“…I mean you no harm. I’m just…trying to get home.” How could he prove it to her? His watch beeped again and another wall of text. “Oh for fuck’s sake, mum.” He grumbled, reaching to press the button. “Yes. Double kitty litter. Not the Dust brand. I’m in the middle of something. Yes!…Yes I…when I get home. Bye.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Shilo kept the blade pointing at him, trying to keep a stern expression even though she was quite scared of the intruder. The face his face was masked intimidated her even more, feeling vulnerable under the ruby gaze of the mask. She hoped and prayed to whatever higher being is out there that her father would call back soon. 

Being told she had scared him amused her, because to her that meant she’s capable of defending and taking care of herself. She shook her head, not buying his obvious lie. “My dad doesn’t hire roofers…” She stepped forward as he stepped backwards towards the railing of the balcony. She didn’t want to have to use the knife on him or push him off the balcony, but she wasn’t going to hesitate if it came to that. Namely, if he attacked her or if he refused to leave. 

“And why should I believe you!?” And with that, the man’s watch went off, and Shilo’s expression changed from defensive and stern to confused as he mentioned his mother. As he talked with her, Shilo lowered the blade in her hand. Perhaps he really was telling the truth. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

He was still shadowed in the dark with the advertisements above only flashing vague images of his appearance. He probably looked frightening with his red irises I’m the dark. Then again there were other downfalls to this genetic trait; going blind in the future due to this rare form of heterochromia. 

He observed her cautiously lower the knife but he kept his hands raised until he felt comfortable to lower them. Warily, Matthaeu peered over her balcony at the dispersing Repomen. “…You’re smart not to trust a stranger.” He assured her. “You have no right to believe me, but I give you may word.” He took care to step into the light so she could see him better. 

His scarf lowered from his face, his goggles settled atop shaggy reddish brown hair. His eyes still bore into her but he seemed just as taken off guard as the girl. This was the Mortician’s house that he managed by everyday. _No one_ lived here. “…My mother would be quite disappointed in me if I went against what I’ve been taught. Perhaps good manners isn’t in my upbringing…not 100%.” Once more he glanced over the railing. “…I’m not an upstanding citizen.” He thought to be honest. “…Right now I’m only here waiting for danger to disperse lest I be shot on sight. Last thing I want and my mother…” He paused, knowing how much it would destroy Dolores. “…I can’t leave her alone.” 

Those red eyes came back to focus on Shilo again and his gaze shifted to the advertisements behind him. The various images of the GenTerns caused his nose to wrinkle in mild disgust. “…They’re like ticks with those red visors over their faces like that…parasites feeding off the public.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

She lowered the blade a bit more, still keeping it firmly in her hand. “My father taught me to never trust strangers… let alone talk to them.” She allowed her guard down some more as he revealed himself to her. 

As he spoke, she just simply listened. She thought for a moment and sighed, “if you promise to not try anything and leave as soon as you can, I’ll leave you be. It has to be quick, too. I’m nothing compared to my dad if he were to catch you up here.” 

Suddenly, her own watch went off, a robotic voice sounding off. _“Incoming call from Nathan Wallace.”_

“Speak of the devil.” She said quietly, gently but quickly setting the knife down next to her feet and answering the beeping watch. “Shilo, honey? You called. I’m sorry, I was busy. Are you okay?” Nathan’s frantic voice sounded from the bracelet. Shilo paused, looking up at the mysterious figure before looking back down at Nathan’s holographic face spinning above the watch. 

“Yes, I’m okay, Dad. I just… wanted to know if you were going to be home early tonight.” 

Nathan chuckled with relief. “I’ll be home soon, precious. I should be let off in about a half hour. Call me if you have any trouble. Love you, Shilo.” 

Shilo sighed. “Of course, Dad. Love you, too.” The watch beeped twice as the call ended. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The tension of the situation did not disperse but he relaxed a bit more. “Scout’s honour…You have my word, as an honest criminal.” He admitted although he wasn’t going to tell her he was a _killer_. Once the knife lowered, fully, from him he took a step towards the railing again. It seemed like he might have a window to leave, until the beeping of her watch caught his attention. 

A warning about her father. Well, any responsible father would be concerned for their daughter’s safety in the presence of an unknown male. Her own watch went off and everything seemed like it settled until the name uttered on the digital voice of her holowatch. The image of his target’s face illuminated in the holographic light and his blood ran cold. 

_Nathan Wallace_

 _Nathan Wallace, GeneCo’s top RepoMan. Take him out._

He checked his watch again to seem like he was scrolling through his mother’s messages and he checked back to make certain The Madame’s orders were true. He vacated the circus due to the circumstances not being safe…and now he was here at the lair of the beast. This was a bad toke. He’d, somehow, been tempted into smoking with those potheads downstairs and this was all some sick hallucination. 

Nathan Wallace did not have any information stating he had family. His report gave off his kill count, his hunting grounds, and when he reported to Rotti Largo (depending on the hours). Yet, here was this frail looking little pointing a knife at him and attempting to be threatening. He gazed at her, a mixture of confusion and fascination. She _looked_ sick. His eyes were sharp and glimpsed the background of her bedroom from the window before they followed back to her. 

He shook that feeling of curiosity off before reaching for the railing. “…I have to go now.” He uttered, gripping the cool metal between his fingers. He hesitated before glancing back down and then back to her. A moment passed before he spoke again. “…I’m Matt and…thanks for not stabbing the shit out if me.” He said simply as he climbed over the rail and attempted to begin his descent. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

_Criminal?_ He surely didn’t act like a criminal. Criminals rob houses, shoplift, assault and murder people, and sell drugs. Minus the peculiar and rather creepy color of his eyes, he didn’t look much like one either. 

Unless, the “danger” he was trying to hide from was the police, trying to apprehend him for a crime he had just committed. The “conversation” he had with his mother could’ve been faked for all she knew. He could just be acting to let Shilo let her guard down and allow him to attack again. She made sure the knife was still firmly grasped in her hand. 

As he suddenly began to climb over the railing, she looked at him in confusion. Wait, hold on, this guy was just going to give her his name and just leave? Was the “danger” now gone and he was free to leave now? Perhaps the mentioning of and the conversation she had with her father intimidated him since he had stated he’ll be home soon. 

“Uh… you’re welcome?” she said. She refrained from giving the man her name, for obvious reasons. “You’re not a _dangerous_ criminal, are you?” It was a strange question to ask, but if she needed to she could tell her father all about what had happened if she was no longer safe home alone and needed him to practice extra safety precautions. But if he was simply passing by, Shilo could just let him go and let the police deal with him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

He was gripping the railing now when he felt her question linger on him. “I’m a graverobber. My occupation is a living hazard. So if my crime as a drug dealer deserves death, I must be to the powers that be…but it’s all bullshit and a way for GeneCo to peddle addiction from their pharmaceutical standpoint. Yes, I’m dangerous in the sense that…people who hang around me become guilty by association. Once a graverobber, always marked as one.” She didn’t need to know the other things he did. Matthaeu could only hope she believed him. He was a graverobber but he was a RepoHunter first. 

He _was_ dangerous. Every RepoMan’s worst nightmare was a RepoHunter. If Nathan Wallace really was this girl’s father, he had every right to be as deadly and calculated as he needed to be to get the job done. The Madame’s profile never indicated a family member in the household; not that Matthaeu would be stupid enough to actually go inside Nathan Wallace’s homestead. He wasn’t mad. He wasn’t Mikhail. 

“…What’s your name?” He asked her, sparing a moment longer due to the two lingering GeneCops. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

_Graverobber._ Shilo has heard of those but had very little knowledge on them. They extract Zydrate from the dead and sell it as a knockoff version of the drug sold by GeneCo. At least he didn’t say he was a murderer. 

“I’m not looking to buy any drugs, just so you know. I don’t do surgeries, I’m too sick.” She turned her arm around to show him the gauze that marked the spot of her last blood test. Nobody would try to force drugs on a small sick girl, would they? 

“My name?” she echoed. She hesitated to give him an answer but figured there wasn’t any harm in giving him her first name. “My name is Shilo.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“…Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” None of this felt right, but watching her freely give this information to him felt wrong. Nathan Wallace was her father and it was clear she was a very, very, sick girl. Fragile, gaunt, pale, and delicate (all right, maybe not as delicate because she was ballsy enough to point a 5 inch knife at him). There traits did not define her character, but Nathan Wallace was a doctor; a known RepoMan on OrganEct’s chopping block. So why couldn’t her father help her if she was sick? This didn’t add up, even from his first time observations. 

“…I’m not just a graverobber.” He fought back the lump in his throat as his morals took over instead of instinct. She didn’t need to know what he was…but maybe…maybe… He reached into a slot on his holowatch and flipped out a small metal card to gand to her. “…You’re sick?” He ventured cautiously. “…Just a bit of…friendly advice. A…second opinion…maybe a second diagnosis. never hurt anyone.” He glanced down again and found he was free to go. “…You have to hold it…under a black light to see it.” He nodded, trying to not waist for time. 

“…Not that you should feel you should…trust me. I’m a stranger, a criminal, on the run for his life. But maybe…not all criminals do the things they do for their own gain.” His watch beeped again and a small, garbled voice spoke through it then. 

“Mattoo! Home. Now. You come.” 

His mother. Grumbling he pressed the button. “…I’m coming mum. I’m sorry.” Looking back up at the pale girl and her standing on the balcony gazing at him with all the wariness and suspicion in the world. “…I have to go now.” He said before he started his climb down and glanced back up at her. “…See you around.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

She nodded at his greeting, wondering what she had just done. Her father had taught her to never talk to strangers, let alone give them her name. If Nathan found out about it, they'll both be screwed. 

She took the small card from him and tried reading it, looking back up at him in confusion. Her eyes narrowed as he gave her his "advice". Her father was the doctor, not this guy, he knows what he's doing. For years, he'd been trying to find a cure for her. It's not his fault the blood disease her mother had been passed onto her happened to be rare, thus harder to research. 

"But I don't have a--." She said, but was interrupted by the man's angry mother. While he chatted with his mother, Shilo didn't say a word, even after he hung up. She simply just watched him as he climbed down from the balcony. 

"Uh... see you?" She said back, even though she was sure she was not going to see him again after this, but she felt it was the most appropriate thing to say for the situation. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Once he had climbed from her balcony, Matthaeu moved to a portion of the roof where he had better leverage. He could eaasily parkour his way down to the pavement. His gaze strayed back to the girl at her window from the streets before he shook his head. He couldn’t think about this now. When he woke up, it would have all been a dream. It had to have been. 

He hopped onto a body dumping truck by simply flagging down the driver of the vehicle. He was an older man, whose daughter had been having troubles with an addiction to Zydrate so Matthaeu sold his products to to him for half-price in exchange for free rides in the truck either to work or back home. 

Maurice grinned at him as he climbed into the front seat of the dump truck. “Nice to see you again. So, any tales this evening?” Matthaeu fell silent and he did not speak for a moment before he answered. He still wasn’t sure of his encounter.“…there was a girl.” He said, lifting his goggles up to stair out the window of the vehicle. 

The older male quirked a brow at him and gave a fond smile. “Girl eh? Was she pretty?” 

He hadn’t meant for it to come out the way it did, but Matthaeu was in a daze of what he was going to tell his mother. She always knew when he was lying so he would have to be truthful about not bringing home the groceries.. “Yeah…” 

A hand reached out to give him a tap on the back. “Oh ho. You got a little crush?” Maurice asked, nudging him. 

“Eh?” Matthaeu’s head perked up. “No. I just met her. I…wasn’t expecting to run into anyone while getting away from GeneCops.” His brow furrowed and he frowned at the truck driver. “Stop fucking with me. Besides, you know any father wants their daughter running around with a boy that slaughters the bad guys for a living?” He asked, a little lividly. 

“If my own daughter wasn’t so fucked up, I’d have been okay with the two a you datin’-” “”Maurice…Please. Just take me home. Mum’s really worried.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Shilo watched as the man climbed down from her balcony and onto the roof. She turned around to walk back into her bedroom, closing the window and the curtains after gazing outside for a moment, noticing the guy glancing back up at her for a moment. _That_ was some experience. She had finally met someone from the outside world, but of course it had to be a criminal. 

She made her way downstairs to return the knife to the block, there was no way she could hide it in her room without her dad eventually finding it. The card the guy had given her was still in her hand. She rummaged through a drawer and luckily enough found a small black light. 

Suddenly, the front door opened. Shilo had no time to run back upstairs. She grabbed a cup from the cupboard and turned on the kitchen sink faucet. "Dad? Is that you?" 

She heard a set of keys jingle as they were put down. "Shilo?" Nathan called from the foyer. "Yes, I'm home. What are you doing out of bed?" 

Shilo placed the cup under the faucet, the card and black light placed between the cup and the hand holding it. "Oh, I got thirsty. I'll be going up back to bed." 

Nathan walked into the kitchen with his coat hung on his arm. He approached his daughter and wrapped his other arm around her, giving her a loving kiss on her forehead. "I hope everything was alright while I was gone. You know, if something happens while I'm gone, just call me and I'll be here as quick as I can. I'll stop at nothing to protect you." 

"Yes, Dad, I know." She shut off the faucet, turned around and hugged her father with one arm, with the cup still in her other hand. "I will. Goodnight." "Goodnight, precious, sweet dreams," Nathan said as Shilo walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

He was fiddling with his holowatch on the way back, making sure he’d skimmed all of the messages from his mother. The most important ones from the Madame were at the top of his list. He paused though when he noticed a different notification. It must have picked up some other unregistered code from the area. Every once in a while his watch would glitch from the specifications Nate had modified upon it. “Analyze unregistered number.” He uttered into the speaker portion of the watch before Shilo’s picture came up on it, only she was in a dark, long-haired, wig this time. It probably was to hide her ailment…whatever it was that caused her hairloss. 

“Unregistered number. Source user: Unknown. 

He’d be damned. What were the chances? He felt his stomach churn slightly before he caught Maurice looking at the image of the girl. “She’s cute, little young for you though ain’t she?” He asked, chuckling softly. 

“Huh?” Matthaeu shut his watch off and red irises stared at the garbage man through his goggles. “…The girl is nothing to me. I ran into her while I was getting away from GeneCops—” 

“Boy, you can tell me any story you like. I know a look in your eyes when I see you see somethin’ you might like.” | 

“My stop is coming up.” Matthaeu changed the subject quickly. Maurice didn’t know what he was talking about. Even if it was in good fun, he didn’t like that notion and he didn’t like the sound of it. As the truck slowed, they came to a stop and he hopped out once he was certain the coast was clear. “…I’ll catch up with you later.” 

“With some more details—” 

“Good night, Maurice.” The door slammed behind Matthaeu as he got out of the truck. 

He approached the door to the apartment complex. The scent of the bodies in the dumpsters weren’t really that odorous to him be’d become so used to it. He typed in on his watch a bit before the door opened up and closed behind him as he walked in. He was greeted by a cat clawing at a scratching post by the door way and 4 more meowing as he entered the house. Matthaeu took his jacket off and hung it up by the door. 

“Mother.” He called. Knowing she couldn’t hear him, but he did it out of instinct. He typed in on his watch again to which she suddenly entered into the main entrance and smiled at him. Dolores was in her 40s, raising her son since she took him in upon his birth. Her expression seemed concerned then and they faced each other before their sign language conversation began. 

_“Where are the groceries?” Brown eyes narrowed at her son as she cupped his face in hand to look him over for any injuries._

He reached for her hands and squeezed them gently. _“Mum…There was a problem. I ran into GeneCops…and I had to consider my safety first. I’m sorry.”_

A sharp inhale came from the older woman before she sighed and gently pat his cheek. _“…Grilled cheese and tomato soup then?”_

_“Beef stew will have to wait until tomorrow, when it’s safer. I have to deliver zydrate to work-Oh! Fuck!”_ He slapped a palm to his forehead, remembering he needed to fill his quota. _“Ughhh.”_

His use of foul language never shook her, but Dolores frowned and waved a hand at him. _“Watch your mouth in front of your mother, young man. You can collect tomorrow. I’d rather you be safe tonight. Anything else happen?”_

Glancing at his watch, he did not answer her at first. Wallace. He thought to himself before wondering if the risk was worth it. He had to know more. He had to make sure that this wasn’t a dream. Hesitating for a moment, he took the unregistered number and saved it into his watch. _“…There was a girl.”_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Upon entering her bedroom, Shilo settled her cup of water down on her nightstand, keeping the card and black light in hand. She climbed into her bed and shifted the black light into her opposite hand before turning it on and shining it on the card. She was surprised to see a contact number on it. Hold on, didn’t she tell him she wasn’t allowed to talk to strangers!? Why would he give her a contact number? 

Not to mention, her communication bracelet had been programmed to only receive and make calls to her father. Or, at least, that’s what Nathan had told her. 

Out of curiosity, Shilo messed around with her watch, pressing buttons. Even though she wasn’t allowed to try to make calls to anyone other than Nathan, she still held a desire to make contact with the outside world. The guy she was talking with was a criminal, but he seemed harmless for one. And what kind of criminal hands out business cards? 

She carefully entered the number on her bracelet, and it asked if she wanted to save the number as a contact, call the number, or delete it. What she really wanted to know was what the source of the number was, but her bracelet’s programming prohibited searching for it. She pressed a button, meaning to save the number, but she jumped when the voice sounded from her bracelet. _Calling,_ it spoke before reciting the number on the card. 

“No, no, no! That’s not what I wanted!” Frantically, Shilo scrambled to end the call, and successfully stopped it before the guy could pick up. She let out a sigh in relief. 

_Knock, knock, knock!_ Another sound at Shilo’s door made her jump. “Shilo? What was that?” Nathan asked from behind her door. 

Shilo quickly hid the black light and card under her pillow. “Nothing, Dad!” She called. “It was just the TV!” She turned up the sound on her television. 

Nathan hesitated a moment before replying. “Very well. I’m going to bed, Shi. See you tomorrow.” 

“Goodnight, Dad!” She said. Hearing the sound of her father’s bedroom door closing, she let out another relieved sigh before lying down on her bed. 

_Who_ was _that guy!?_


	2. Chapter 2

Mother and son’s apartment was decently sized, and there was an old victrola playing opera music that oddly enough was not Blind Mag’s voice playing in the background. It was a combination of both male and female performers. For his records were full albums that his mother bought for him. The fireplace was going and, the pictures on the wall gave off eerie glows. He wasn’t smiling in any of them. The woman standing next to him was though. Proud he was her boy and that he was by her side.

There were a few cats that lived in his apartment (the total was 5, so scooping the litter box was a daily chore, which he surprisingly didn’t despise since it helped keep the house from wreaking). So wherever he went in his place, cats followed him. One sat on his lap, another draped on his shoulder. Sometimes he would watch in amusement as they played with their cat nip toys. 

Dolores pressed him for information. There were only so few details he could give considering he was taking every precaution for his life with his profession. His mother was crafty in many ways though as she knew the right wording to get him to spill information, perhaps on a deeper level than what Maurice could squeeze out of him. _“Now that you have gone about playing “romeo” and climbing windows onto a girl’s balcony-”_ _“The further you continue to equate my adventures and misunderstanding of a confusing situation with a baffled girl to one of the worst written Shakespearean plays, the less I am willing to discuss about my work schedule for the evening, mum.”_ Matthaeu grunted while he stroked old Solan on his lap. The tired, grey, exotic looked up at him and gave a raspy sort of meow. Natarena, a fat mixed fluffy girl snored over his shoulder. 

Despite his assurance, Dolores continued to, as any concerned mother, badger him. _“I’d like it if you brought your friends over every once in a while. Even the ones from work. I know you don’t have a girlfriend, boyfriend, or whatever, but you should have someone-”_

__The light flickered on his holowatch and both Matthaeu and Dolores’ gazeflitted down to the strange number that popped up on it. The Repo-Hunter recognized it as the girl’s that was accidentally saved on his watch and he appeared mortified momentarily. Dolores couldn’t have been anymore delighted. _“Shilo?”_ She asked, signing excitedly. _ _

__He removed Solan fromhis lap and Natrena gave a discontented “mrowl” when he got up from the couch. Solan, of course, followed as he left the room. His hands flying into the air. “Leave it be, _ **/mother./**_ ” _ _

__–_ _

__Once behind closed doors in his bedroom (Solan managing to scurry into the door before it shut), he slid down with his back pressed against the wood frame. His gaze flitting down to his watch before he pressed a few buttons on it to bring up the call. **“1 missed call from-Shilo Wallace.”** _ _

__**Wallace.** There was that name again. He was left feeling uncertain and uncomfortable. Yet it could have been a mistake, but he hadn’t expected for her to even take a second look at the card he gave to her. What could he do now? Every fiber of his being told him something was wrong wtih this and yet she called (or hadn’t meant to). Regardless, he was now faced with the inevitable; learn more and save a life or learn what he didn’t want to know and face the possible, grim, truth. “Call last.” He muttered into the command receiver. _ _

__**“Calling. Last number. Shilo Wallace.”** He felt his gut churn. What was he to say? What was he to do? Then his mind focused on his first orientation with “The Madame.” _ _

__Exhaling a shaky breath, he recited to himself. “You are here to help. Helping doesn’t always mean hurting or healing. It means you understand to help can have ramifications. If you are unwilling to accept the possibilitiy of reactions and consequences, then you have no place in this world. So, will you heal the world or harm it?” _Heal._ _ _

__“..Do you want a second opinion?” He asked into the receiver, uncertain if she would even answer._ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__It had only been a minute after lying on her bed when Shilo heard her bracelet go off again. Her blood ran cold when she heard the voice recite the number she had just called by accident._ _

__Quickly, before her father had a chance to hear from another room, she jumped off her bed and made her way to the window and out back onto the balcony. Closing the door softly to create as little noise as possible, she sat down and pressed a button to answer the call._ _

__She heard the voice coming from her bracelet and hesitated for a moment. She shouldn’t be talking to this guy, the first call was an accident and if her dad were to find out they’d both be dead. But maybe he might know something about her blood disease if he’s offering a second opinion. Taking a deep breath, she finally answered._ _

__“…I don’t know, maybe.” She paused. “You’re not a doctor, are you, Matt? My dad is, and he doesn’t even know much about the blood disease that I have. Apparently, it’s so rare that he doesn’t even have a name for it. All I know is that it killed my mother giving birth to me and she passed it down to me. He’s been trying to find a cure for me ever since I was born. Until then, I take medicine throughout the day to keep me from going into shock.” She turned her head and stared off into the town below her through the bars of her balcony, almost as if they were bars to a cage._ _

__“Sometimes… it feels like he’s taking his time to find a cure on purpose. He doesn’t seem to want me to leave the house, at all. I’ve never really been outside my house, save for the balcony. But… I always wonder what it’s like outside. Dad says it’s dangerous and cruel… but it can’t be all that bad, right?”_ _

__Shilo shook her head, realizing she was wandering off topic. “Sorry for rambling. It’s just… depressing being sick and housebound all your life. It feels like I’m trapped.” Perhaps she was telling him more than she needed, but it was relieving to let it out. Her father was aware of her unhappiness, but he told her the same thing each time. _“I’ll get your cure soon, Shi, just you wait.”_ As he had said for the past seventeen years. _ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__He didn’t expect her to answer. Matthaeu expected not even a “fuck you” and yet she picked up. Believe him, he was just as baffled to the situation probably as she was that he’d called her. All for what? Just so he could offer her a glimmer of hope? He reminded himself what it was he was here to do. 1. Kill and collect the organs of Repomen. 2. Protect and assist those from falling prey to GeneCo. _Protect and Serve_ The irony of it all. _ _

__He listened carefully as she prattled on and he could hear the exhaustion as well as the nervousness in her voice. When he finally had a moment to speak he considered how he could answer. “…I work for doctors.” He paused before he felt the need to assure her. “Not GeneCo. I work for different doctors…doctors that want to help people and not harm them.” He didn’t know how he could tell her that GeneCo was a corporate enemy. The people didn’t matter. Only the buying and selling of their bodily goods did._ _

__Matthaeu had to consider her father as a threat though. Even if he had his reservations about getting more information. He was a doctor. Nathan Wallace was one too. His insiders were screaming at him to just go back, sneak into the house, and kill the Repoman. The girl was collateral though and he wasn’t going to hurt her because she probably had no idea. He could have been wrong though and he fought against second guessing himself._ _

__“…Trapped.” He knew what that was like. How long had she been Rapunzel in her tower? How long had he been kept from going “out” on his own before he couldn’t take it anymore. It was costly at the time and frightening. He was younger than her and the memory of the incident was vivid, but so was his mother’s fierce flocking to his safety. “…I get that.” His attention strayed back to the girl and not his memories. “…Might not seem believable but, my…mum is the same way.”_ _

__Dolores could do little else after that but teach her boy and here he was today. “…Do you want out?” He asked her. “…Even briefly just to take control of your own medical affairs without your father? Because, I can help you. But you have to make the choice, I can only offer it to you. It is not my place to make it for you.”_ _

__Where could she meet him though? “…Are you able to slip out of your father’s graces? Just long enough to go to doctor’s appointment?” He paused. “…I can schedule it and take you there…The Repomen won’t touch you.” _Protect and serve._ He’d kill them. _ _

__“Prrrrl.” He made a face and wrinkled his nose as Solan slid his way under Mattheau’s chin. “Mrow.”_ _

__He muttered something and gently moved to place the old man in his lap. “…No. Not now. I’m busy, Solan.”_ _

__“Mrrrrow.”_ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__“Different… doctors?” She echoed. But her father worked for GeneCo as a doctor, and as far she knew he didn’t want to harm people but help them. Sure, sometimes there were lives he couldn’t save but they were far beyond his control._ _

__“But at least your mother would let you out to work,” she retorted. “My dad won’t even let me out to retrieve the mail in the morning.” She blew a couple strands of artificial hair out of the middle of her face with grief._ _

__Her face lit up as she heard his offer, not even hesitating to accept. “Yes! Yes, please!” She made clear of just how desperate she was. Shifting onto her knees, she grabbed onto one of the bars of her balcony, catching the sight of the gauze taped on her arm. Even if she was deliberately disobeying her father, this could be her opportunity to finally find out what’s wrong with her, and possibly put an end to it for good._ _

__“Umm… yeah. He’s in bed now, but he usually works all day. I’ve never been to town so I don’t know my way around there, but we can meet in the graveyard. My house has a tunnel that leads to a tomb there.”_ _

__Purrs and meows were heard faintly on the other side of the call. “Uh… is that a cat I hear?” She asked, stifling a giggle._ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__The old man’s tail was under his nose and Solan would not respect personal space. “No.” He deadpan med before wrinkling his nose. “Shoo.” He muttered before gently pushing the exotic from his lap only to receive a disgruntled “mrowl” in protest. Her giggle caught him off guard and his brow quirked slightly. This was the same girl that threatened him with a knife in the same night, right?_ _

__He thought briefly of his mother and even now he felt as though she was pressing her fingers to his door, feeling the vibrations of his voice while he was on his watch. “…My mother? You’d be surprised what she wouldn’t let me do.” He gazed out at the neon lights on the building sign just in front of his windows. “…She didn’t used to.” Taking on Repomen was something Dolores was outspoken against with him for his obvious safety, but their arguments would never get far. His mother knew what he had to do. He could only hope she would never get involved in his work._ _

__The more they talked about getting the girl help though, the more intrigued he became. That was a dangerous thing. She _wanted_ help that her father could not (or maybe would not) give her. “…Bring any samples of any medication you take with you. You will need it for the pharmacologist to examine. I…want to take a look at it too.” _ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__As the cat noises and Matt’s frustration with it continued in the background, Shilo quietly chortled into the back of her free hand. Cats. It might’ve been years since she last saw her cat, the only pet she ever had, but she never forgot how much Molly would hop up onto her desk while she tried to do her (home)schoolwork. She still missed the little rascal, only if she didn’t run away._ _

__With an exhale, she calmed her laughter as she listened to him talk about his mother. Back to business. As overbearing her own father was, he’s always been a loving father and just wanted to protect his daughter. She was vulnerable due to her condition, and she would be even more at risk if something from the outside were to infect her and got her even more sick._ _

__“Sure, I’ll do that.” She peered back in through her window and spotted the large jar of pills on her desk. Soon, she won’t be needing them anymore. The wind began picking up and she shivered a little. “So, when should we meet?”_ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__“Tomorrow.” Matthaeu answered immediately without missing a beat. “The longer you wait, the less chance you may have at independence.” He was one to talk about giving advice to a girl about being independent. _You still live at home with your mum, dickhead._ “I’ll meet you in the graveyard.” He glanced at any incoming messages on his watch. Yes. He could meet here there. “…by 10pm. 10:30 at the latest.” That was provided he didn’t have any missions from the Madame in his spare time. _ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__“Tomorrow?” Shilo bit her lower lip. Mag’s final performance was going to be happening the next night and Shilo wanted to watch it live. Well, sacrifices were needed to be made. Besides, this was much more important and she could always watch a rerun of it later. “Yes. Tomorrow.” 10 pm. Her father usually got home from 9 pm to midnight, depending how busy things were at his work. She hoped the next day would be a busy one for him. And if he comes home earlier, hopefully he’ll be in bed and asleep by 10. “That will work,” she said with a nod. “I’ll be sure to bring everything. I’ll see you then. Have yourself a good night, Matt.” After the conversation had come to a close, Shilo ended the call and stepped back into her bedroom. She climbed into her bed feeling both excited and nervous. Excited that she finally might get the answers she’s been needing, and nervous because she also might not get any answers. That along with the chance of finding her gone. But all the risks should all be worth it._ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__The blip of his wristwatch signaled the end of the call, but now he had to deal with getting her to The Madame for her second opinion. He had a mission and a quota to meet. “Contact List. Nate.” He spoke before listening to his watch select his labeled contact. “Call.” He uttered before the watch responded:__

__**“Calling. Nate.”** _ _

__“Goggles. Good to hear your voice.” The young man on the other end sounded much younger than Matthaeu even, and his accent was monotoned with a hint of Liverpool._ _

__“White Walker. I need to borrow some Z for a quota fill for the Madame, for tomorrow night.” He glanced at the time now before he realized he needed to be out and about again. In the middle of his conversation, another message popped up on his holowatch._ _

___“Mission status request: Nathan Wallace. Expected at the Genetic Opera. Dispatch him there. Disperse from scene as quickly as possible. Other Hunters assigned to the Opera. Report to OrganEct office immediately”_ Shit. “You too?” Matthaeu could hear Nate utter. He must have gotten the same message. _ _

__That sort of disturbed his plans to assist Shilo. “…Meet me in 2 hours down in the Underground, if you see me in the streets keep an eye out for me.” Matthaeu murmured into the watch._ _

__“Done. And the Z.2 quota you need?” Nate asked curiously._ _

__“…I’ll need 7 vials.”_ _

__“Done.”_ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__Despite her nervous anticipation about her plans for the next night, Shilo managed to drift off to sleep peacefully. However, after some time, she found herself waking up to what she thought was a knocking noise. She would’ve assumed it was Nathan, if the knocking sound wasn’t on glass. Sitting up in her bed, she turned her head towards the source of the noise. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw Matt standing in her window. She scrambled out of her bed and dashed to her window, making sure to not put a lot of weight in her steps to make minimal noise. She frantically unlocked the window to open it and she took one step outside. “Matt!? What are you doing here!? I thought you said we weren’t meeting until tomorrow night?” She asked, trying to not be too loud to wake her dad in the next room. For a moment, while still in a tired daze, she wondered if she had actually slept through the entire day but Nathan wouldn’t have allowed that to happen, as he would wake her to take her medicine and eat. She probably would’ve been dead if she went a full day without her medicine._ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__The first thing he managed to do after contacting Nate was attempt to call Shilo again. **“Calling. Shilo Wallace.”** He tried to ignore the last name as much as his mind screamed at him not to. She was a patient. She was priority right now because that was what OrganEct did. The patient came first. Their safety was more important in addition to killing the RepoMen who threatened them. _ _

__“Come on…come on.” No answer. Shit. She must have been in bed or her father got her watch away from her. He was hoping it was the former. He didn’t have time though and threw his coat on again before posting a note on hid bedroom door. He’d gone out again on an emergency call. He had to get to her and soon, much like that idiot, Romeo, he was on her balcony again. Only, this time she was asleep in her bed._ _

__The rapping at her window, very gently, was enough to wake her though and soon he was face to face with this pale, sickly, girl in her nightgown again. It was nice not to have a knife being held at him though, that was for sure. “…I tried calling.” He glanced inside her bedroom, getting a quick glimpse of the bugs in glass boxes displayed on her walls. Huh. Interesting. “Look, something came up about tomorrow…and there is an opening for you to come. Tonight…if you want to.” His hands slid into the pockets of his trousers, his gaze averting slightly because he didn’t want to look at her._ _

__It wasn’t that she wasn’t a pretty girl, she was, but he couldn’t come out and tell her: “Oh by the way your appointment is the same time I’ve been scheduled to kill someone with the same last name as you.” It wasn’t practical nor logical. “…The choice is still yours, only the circumstances have changed.”_ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__Shilo quickly checked her own holowatch as Matt talked and saw the notification for a missed call from his number. Whoops. Looking back up at him, his red eyes darted away a bit and she could tell something was bothering him. She wasn’t certain of what it was, but figured it had something to do with the reason behind the change of plans. _Whatever it is, it’s likely none of my business._ _ _

__She pursed her lips and looked away as well, tapping on the window frame as she pondered her options. Her father was in bed now, so he shouldn’t have to check up on Shilo until morning. And as Matt said earlier, this could be her only chance at independence. It was either now or never._ _

__After a moment of thought, she raised an index finger at him. “Wait right here.” Suddenly, she closed her window, locking it, and closed the curtains. The clothes she wore earlier to the graveyard were where she left them earlier on the floor. She slipped out of her nightgown and threw on her clothes along with her shoes and her long, jet black wig. She took a handful of pills from the large jar and into a smaller container, both for samples and just in case she begins to feel faint while out. She hoisted her messenger bag over her shoulder and placed the small bottle of pills inside. After she made sure she had everything she needed, she drew back the curtains and opened her window again to meet Matt._ _

__“Sorry about that, had to get dressed real quickly.”__

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

____

__His blades were sheathed snugly on the buckle straps around his trousers. He found himself awkwardly touching his goggles as a nervous habit as he stood there, hoping to whatever god existed (if there was one) that Shilo would believe him. His excuse was perfectly reasonable. All of it was job related (although his line of work was anything but reputable)._  
_

__Ruby orbs gazed at her once more when he felt confident enough to do so. He probably never anticipated having an actual, human, conversation with someone that _was_ and actual patient. What made it concerning and unnecessarily awkward about this whole thing was being uncertain of his quarry. Nothing in Nathan Wallace’s profile stated he had a daughter. Did The Madame know? Surely, she would have come up with another strategy… _ _

__Once Shilo was dressed and ready again, he was able to see her, now, without the doll-like hospital clothes. Well, her graveyard outfit might not have seemed, all that better, but she wasn’t a Z-Tramp on the street living for the drug itself. “…Ready?” He asked her after a moment of silence, before holding out his hand to her and then suddenly retracting it. “…I just realized how horribly cliche me standing on this balcony is, and it is rather nauseating. Not you. The environment.”_ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__Shilo stepped up onto the balcony, with one hand behind her closing the window. The balcony was very narrow with barely enough room for the both of them to stand on. She almost reached out to his hand until he retracted it._ _

__His statement left her a little confused. “Um… okay?” She would, however, agree that having the both of them on the balcony was a bit awkward. Here she was standing uncomfortably close to a boy she just met. Her balcony was never really meant to hold more than one person._ _

__With both hands gripping onto the balcony’s finials, she looked downwards. Her stomach churned a little as she imagined how she was going to climb down, and how it could go horribly wrong. “So… how am I supposed to get down from here?”_ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__“…I’ll explain it when we get to the doctor.” Matthaeu assured her. He owed her that st least to quell the awkwardness. While holding onto the other side of the balcony. He tried to gauge where his footing would be and how best to balance with another person. Seeing the look of uncertainty on her face was enough to tell him this wasn’t going to be easy._ _

__He fished into the pack on his hip and fished out a carabiner clip with an attachment to hold him in placed on the balcony before backing up against the railing, holding against the metal before he held out his hand again. _Put the bullshit aside for Shakespeare and help the girl you prick._ _ _

__“Now you can take my hand.” He was still clipped to the railing at this point. “I’ll go from there. Just let me handle getting us down…safely.”_ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__Looking down below and the thoughts that came with it caused her to feel slightly dizzy and she averted back up. She watched Matt clip himself onto the railing, her nervousness growing by the second. This wasn’t how she imagined her first time seeing the outside world, by climbing down from her balcony._ _

__A moment of hesitation passed and she reached out to grab a hold onto Mattaeu’s hand. Her holding a stranger boy’s hand, it felt a bit surreal. It also made her feel a rebellious burn, the trapped girl escapes with a boy, just like in the movies. She took one more look down and hoped if death awaited her in a moment that it would be quick._ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~__

__Standing here holding a girl’s hand, on a balcony, felt to be the ultimate cliche. Matthaeu did not have time for such trivial and pervasive thoughts now though. He held onto Shilo’s hand as she climbed over the balcony and he took out another one of those carabiner clamps and fished into his pack for an elastic strap with metal loops through it, tapered over in leather. He looped it around Shilo’s waist and clipped her onto the balcony. “…This will hold you for right now.”_ _

__He slid his goggles over his eyes to allow him the ability to heighten his senses and pinpoint where he needed to stab his blades into so he could climb down. He began by unclipping himself from her balcony before he unsheathed one of his blades and found where he’d stabbed into the siding of the house before and managed to climb down that way before he registered he’d need to make proper footing for her to come down._ _

__Matthaeu tended tobe a quick thinker in these situations, so he climbed back up to carefully balance himself between the two blades. He could hold one in place with one arm while she climbed down. “…I want you to try and get on my shoulders from where you are. Can you do that? I’ve made part of the path, but you need to watch your balance. I’ll tell you when to step and when to hold.”_ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__That was the very moment when Shilo fully realized she wasn’t a fan of heights. She held onto the railing as if it was for dear life, tempted to just give up before she even tried. But she felt a little better when Matt clipped her to the balcony._ _

__Nodding at his instructions, she started to make her way down, cursing herself for wearing her high heel boots even though they were the only pair of shoes she owned. At least she opted out of wearing what she called her “purple outfit”, the one with a shorter skirt. _That_ would’ve made the current situation more of a disaster. _ _

__She did as she was instructed, making sure her shoes balanced correctly before lowering herself. The hardest part was not looking downwards and keeping all thoughts of possibly falling at bay and not letting them distract her. She finally reached Matt, gingerly making her way down a little more before she got onto his shoulders._ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__

__This balancing act was nerve wracking _even for him_. Matthaeu could do this shit without having to concern himself with his footing half of the time. He knew, through instinct, where he needed to step and his peripherals kept him alert. Watching another person in action was like waiting for him to have a heart attack. He just didn’t know if or when the girl would fall, so as she inched closer, he was finally able to secure her, via a other loop and carabiner. Somehow, he managed to do this with one hand and could begin his descent downward. _ _

__Once he’d successfully gotten both of his blades, he started the climb down, halting every few moments to make sure Shilo was still there on his shoulders. When he was certain they were going to be fine, he continued the descent until they were just a few feet from the ground._ _

___That_ was where he lost his footing and skidded hard against the side of the building. he had to keep his calm though lest he frighten the girl any more than he was sure he had. Although, that only went so far as the siding where his footing was gave way and he dropped down with a thud against the ground, catching Shilo against him. “Hng!!” _ _

__This was so unprofessional and uncoordinated of him. Not to mention embarrassing. “…Ahnnn. All right then?” He managed to wheeze out._ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__As Matt climbed down the side of the house, Shilo kept her eyes scrunched shut and rested her forehead on his shoulder, holding on tightly to him. A few moments passed and she gathered the courage to open her eyes to look up at the balcony, which was now further away than before. She also looked down to see how much further they had until they reached the ground and relaxed when she saw that there were only a few feet left to go. Then they fell to the ground._ _

__Even if was only a few feet, the drop startled Shilo, causing her to let out a shriek. She heard him groan as they hit the ground. That must have hurt a little. "Uh... are you okay?" She asked as she finally let go of him._ _

__She stood up after she was unsecured and held onto the strap of her bag as she looked up once more. _We made it,_ she chuckled nervously to herself. She kicked the return of the invasive thoughts of herself messing up her own footing and falling down. Now she just had to worry about getting to the doctor._ _

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The pain was nothing to falling off the siding of a building. He’d fallen off the fire escape from his bedroom window before but not had another person land on him. He may have been a little hurt in his pride, but he did not allow that to divert from their task. He grunted, managing to scrape himself to his feet to save him some embarrassment. 

“I’m fine.” There was a brief pause as he patted his person before grunting slightly. He might feel that fall more when he woke up in the morning. For now the priority was the girl and this time he was careful to step towards her. Ruby orbs cast towards her balcony before he reached out to give a gentle tug on the fishnet sleeve of her wrist. “Come on. No time to waste. Your appointment awaits.” 

It would seem though that might have a slight postponement. His watch beeped and he glanced down at it with a frown. “…Mum?” He asked before touching the button and nodded for Shilo to walk with him. “…What is it? What’s wrong?” 

You need to stop by the house so you can take Nate and Natalia this pack I baked for them. 

His expression turned to one of annoyance. “…You’re joking.” 

_I can see the tone in your text. No, I am not young man._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

As Shilo followed behind Matt, slightly speedwalking to keep up with him (damn short legs), she faintly heard his holowatch go off. His mother must want something from him. Reminded her a bit of her own father and how he'd constantly check up on Shilo throughout the day, such as whenever he'd call her to remind her to take her medicine. _Parents, such overbearing creatures._ Shilo rolled her eyes with a smile as Matt set his attention on his watch. 

Walking along, she gazed around at her environment. Everything seemed so much bigger outside, she felt like a small ant skittering through tall grass. She wasn't able to hear Matt's mother's side of the conversation, but the annoyance in his tone caught her attention. She waited a moment before working the nerve to ask him about it. "...Is there something wrong?" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“…I’ll swing by home. I have to go right away though. I…I’m taking a patient to an appointment.” He informed her, rubbing att he back of his neck. “Be ready at the door.” 

_I love you._

“…Yeah, love you too mum.” He murmured into the holowatch before it blipped off. He turned to face Shilo at her question before the corner of his lip twitched into a small smile. “Nah, it’s….my mum. She has some treats she wants me to bring my colleagues.” His goggles pushed up on his head again as they walked through the streets. He only put them down again and made sure to usher her off to the side whenever he saw a camera in their direction. “…GeneCo has eyes everywhere.” He muttered before reaching, this time for her hand. “See, my mum? She worries…a lot. My job is dangerous and my mum fears for my safety all the time.” It was natural that a mother would want to worry for her son. 

“…See,” He glimpsed what he thought might have been a Z-Addict staggering around int he streets and cautiously motioned for Shilo to stay close to him. “you’ve been cooped up in your household much like I was…except I was younger when I got sick of being…” He tried to find the right word. “I grew tired of being confined because my mother wanted to protect me. A bad accident later…and, well, here I am a no good delinquient fighting against corporate greed in the healthcare system.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Shilo continued listening in on Matt’s side of the conversation and she also felt a little annoyed when her trip to the doctor was going to be delayed a bit. But seeing him smile slightly as he answered her pleasantly surprised her. This was the first time she’d ever seen him smile, even if it was just a little bit. 

Seeing the cameras made Shilo feel a bit uneasy. Her father worked for GeneCo, and if those cameras caught so much as a glimpse of her, he could find out about her escaping. The two made their way through the streets and Shilo spotted the figure, dressed as if she had just come out of a strip club, walking awkwardly. Must be one of those Zydrate junkies. 

She listened in as Matt chattered on about his mother, nodding whenever something relatable struck her. _Except you weren’t sick…_

“Well, hopefully I won’t end up with the same fate.” Shilo chuckled softly as she said jokingly. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“Fate?” He blinked at her, a little confused. “You don’t think after…or if the doctors find a way to help you, that you’ll never come outside again?” Ah. He forgot about her father. He wondered about that sometimes. There was that part of him that was still hoping he was wrong and her name simply was coincidence and not what he was denying all along. His boots scuffed against the asphalt while keeping his pace enough so she could walk beside him. 

“…My mother’s different.” Dolores had killed for him; literally. From the day of his birth t the danger he was in when he first got out. The former midwife was never far from doing whatever it was necessary to protect her only son. “She’s tougher than she leads me to believe sometimes and most days, I know she’s uncomfortable with my job title…the things I do.” His hands slid into his pockets. “…I don’t just…collect zydrate.” _You kill people. Just say it and let her run screaming back to her father. Hunt the RepoMan down as soon as he comes after you_

The street lights were starting to develop a faint glow to them. They were getting closer to his side of town. He could see the neon lights flickering pink above on the advertising building across the street from his apartment complex. There was a body dumpster there but he never drew from zydrate this close to home. “This way.” He gestured while nodding to the grungy apartment complex as he dialed in a few numbers on the keypad and entered the stairwell, holding the door open for her. He led her up two flights of stairs before they came to a hallway squared in. 2H, 3B, and 8Q. Here was where he approached, the last door. 

The sound of a “thud” and laughter in the apartment behind them didn’t even faze him for reaction. “Those are our neighbors. They’re stoners; potheads but they are harmless.” A hand reached up before he glanced at the broken tty pad before knocking in a specific pattern. His mother would know it was him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Shilo shrugged. “I mean, I _might_ , if Dad doesn’t get too upset that I snuck out of the house. Sometimes it seems my sickness isn’t the only reason he keeps me inside. He tells me all the time that the world is a cruel, sick place. I get it, he wants to protect me but I want to live my life, too.” With a sigh, she kicked at a couple pebbles on the ground. Only if Nathan would let her prove to him that she could, in fact, take care of herself just fine. 

“Well, yeah, who _wouldn’t_ be worried about their kid climbing up and down buildings to escort their patients to the doctor’s?” And who wouldn’t be worried about their kid sneaking into their late mother’s tomb in a heavily guarded graveyard to catch bugs? However, catching bugs wasn’t as noble as someone rescuing her from her prison and help her get the answers she needs. 

As they got closer to the apartment complex, she caught a whiff of the dead bodies in the dumpster and cringed before covering her nose and mouth. Perhaps she should’ve brought her mask with her. She kept the bottom half of her face covered as she was lead up the stairs, uncovering it when the smell wasn’t as intense. 

The sounds coming from the apartment caused her to jump and turn towards it. Noticing how Matt didn’t react to it, she figured the neighbors must be rowdy often. She stood next to him quietly as he knocked on the door. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

He leaned against the door for a moment, his ears listening intently for movement. The tumbler resounded in the lock before it gave and the door opened. Dolores warm expression peered at him from the doorway. Dark, greying, brown hair and wide grin. Her hands were tender as she garbled his name and cupped his cheeks in hand. “Mattoo.” 

He grunted slightly as she pressed her forehead to his and handed him the wrapped parcel, signing away. “That’s pumpkin bars with extra cinnamon for your colleagues now-” She found hersekf stopping short as she glimpsed Shilo behind him. Curiously, she pushed past him to stand in the door way and gaze at the girl. 

“…Mattoo?” She spoke while gesturing to her son and pointing the girl. “Who is this?” 

“Ah…mum. This um, this is Shilo she’s…a friend of mine I’m helping out.” He rubbed the back of his neck while he signed to her and voiced so his charge could hear his conversation. 

Dolores didn’t waste a moment allowing her gaze to light up and she grasped Shilo’s hands and squeezed them in hers gently. “Shilo! So nice to meet you. Matthaeu never brings friends to meet hardly! You’re on your way somewhere? You need a jacket? Please. Come inside from the cold. I’ll get you one.” A gentle tug and Dolores was soon hurrying both her son and the girl inside. 

“Ah! Mum, we…actually can’t-” Matthaeu stopped short at old, exotic, Solan skulking into the room to “mrowl” up at him and curl around his legs before turning his attention to the newcomer to purr and rub against her ankles. 

His mother could not be deterred though. “…Um. Yeah. That’s…my mum.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Shilo simply watched as Matt’s mother greeted him lovingly, not moving nor making a sound. He just needed to get what he needed from his mother and they’d both be on their way. She raised a brow in fascination as she observed the conversation between Matt and his mother. Was his mother speaking in sign language? She clearly wasn’t mute, so that must have meant she was deaf. She made eye contact with Shilo, who just stood there frozen not knowing what to do. Shilo gave the older lady a nervous smile and wave as Matt introduced her and was taken by surprise when Dolores grabbed her hands. “Erm, it’s nice to meet you too–.” Shilo would try to reply to Dolores only to be cut off by how fast she was talking until she was pulled into the apartment. “Yeah, we’re on our way to–. No, thank you, that won’t be—woah okay…” 

Shilo stood awkwardly next to Matt until she spotted the cat entering. Her face lit up and she let out a soft gasp as the critter rubbed up against her. She knelt down to pet the cat happily. Childhood memories with her own cat flooded her mind as she remembered Molly being just as friendly as this cat. 

“I see, she’s such a sweet lady.” She sighed as she stroked the cat’s soft face with the back of her fingers. “I bet if I were to ever try to bring a boy over, my dad would completely flip out and murder him on the spot.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Shilo had no idea how right she was about Nathan Wallace probably trying to murder Matthaeu. What man, who kept his daughter under lock and key, would let a strange boy live (who was just trying to help her out)? He watched after his mother as Dolores beamed over him. Her hands gently ruffling his hair and her signs rapid and excited. 

“Please say you are staying for tea?” Dolores asked, glancing at Matthaeu as he voiced for his mother. 

“What? No. We-Mum. Uh. We can’t. Shilo has an appointment that I’m taking her to-” Matthaeu was cut off as his mother waved a hand at him. 

“Oh "appointment” sure. You can tell your mother that all you want Mr. Stubborn and Bashful, but I know better.” She winked at him while watching Shilo give Solan all of the chin scritches. 

This was highly embarrassing, given the fact his mother had been asking about dates earlier. "Mum-” 

“Mrowl…” The old man purred beneath Shilo’s touch before he was joined by the fat, fluffy, female. Natarena’s ears flicked back in caution before she scooted closer to sniff at Shilo before she decided she liked her. The rest of the cats were coming out of the wood work now (they had 5). 

“So you can’t stay?” Dolores pouted, gazing at Shilo. “That’s a shame. Well, ever need a cuppa. I’ll have one one. Let me at least get you a coat.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Shilo looked up when she heard Matt talking for his mom, both hands still petting the cat. She nodded when he mentioned the appointment, which she had to get to and back from before her father found out she was gone. 

A second cat cautiously approached her and she held out a hand to let her sniff her before she started petting her as well. Her eyes widened when three more cats came out. Yeesh, how many cats did they even have? Anyhow, she felt as if she died and went to cat heaven. Giggling, she made sure to pet each of the other cats. Only if she had more hands to pet all five of them at once. 

She reluctantly stopped petting and stood up, brushing some of her hair behind her ear with hand and gripping the strap of her bag with the other. 

"Um, sure, thank you.” She didn’t want to be any worry to Dolores, but it probably wasn’t a good idea to be out in the cold with her condition either. 

“Uh, so,” He glanced in the direction his mother went and turned his attention back to Shilo. “…That’s my mum.” Matthaeu stated the obvious with an awkward grunt, rubbing at the back of his neck. Now that She’d finally seen Shilo, there was no doubt Dolores was going to message him constantly while they were out. **_Out. Oh no. No. No. It isn’t like that you dickhead._**

“Anyways, ah. These are…the cats. The old man here, this is Solan.” He gestured to the grey exotic. “The long hair girl here, Natarena.” This was the female currently purring at Shilo’s chin scritches. Behind her, the spotty shorthaired boy with a bite in his right ear. “Nao is over here.” At her other ankle was a one-eyed black beauty with a snaggle tooth. “Valenica.” He looked around for the last, the skittish white male gently coming towards Shilo. “…Laville. Hello boy.” 

Ears back slightly, the smaller male hunched his back but again came towards Shilo before sniffing at her hand without much trouble. Then he headbutted against it.”…They uh, they sure do like you. Do you…I mean, did you have a cat?” 

The door to the end hallway on the bottom floor opened and Dolores returned with a dark blue coat with some neon blue paterns on it. There was fur sewn onto the hood to make it look like ears (bear ears). “I wore this in the 70s…before all this organ failure business started. But It wont ever fit me again.” Dolores signed while Matthaeu voiced for her. “…You keep it.” 

Shilo glanced down at Solan and lightly chuckled, so he was the little rascal she heard bothering Matt during the call earlier. She leaned down slightly to scritch behind his ear. 

“Yeah, I _did_ have a cat, many years ago.” She sighed happily as she gazed at all of the cats. “Her name was Molly, the only friend I ever had as a kid. She was merely an indoor cat, but Dad told me she ran away after she managed to get out of the house.” It had been almost ten years since that cat disappeared, but Shilo still missed her. Her father didn’t care for her very much though for some reason and refused to get another cat. 

Shilo took the coat from Dolores and immediately put it on. It was slightly big on her tiny frame but it was comfortable nevertheless. She pulled on the hood, covering her hair and part of her face. Now nobody at GeneCo would recognize her if she were to be spotted on camera. “This is really nice. Thank you!” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The only friend she ever had… What a sad and depressing life that must have been. Then your only friend disappears and you are all alone in the world. Matthaeu could admit he preferred solitude but was not…completely devoid of human interaction. He gazed at Shilo as she pet and rubbed each cat. They were all drawn to her, especially old Solan. How could her father think that was healthy to keep her inside? At least his mother knew and accepted he couldn’t be protected forever. 

That never stopped Dolores form worrying though and she was extremely pleased at Shilo’s delight of the coat. “You’ll come back for tea, won’t you?” 

Matthaeu, now, felt as though he needed to butt in on that. “Excuse me.” He spoke first. His usually stoic and calm expression changed as he and his mother engaged in a silent and nonverbal conversation. 

Dolores quirked a brow and looked at Shilo before back at Matthaeu. “Don’t give me that look and don’t say that you won’t allow it. I own this apartment, boy.” 

“Mum. Maurice literally could not let me be on this. Can you…maybe wait for the tea invitations at least? We barely know her-” Matthaeu argued as his hand gestures became a little me annoyed and somewhat intense. 

“Then /get/ to know her and bring her back for tea. She is a nice girl and if you were generous enough to take her to an appointment, you can take her out somewhere nice. Even a movie. Now get and take the pumpkin roll to Nate and Natalia.” Dolores shooed him before she sighed and turned back to Shilo. “It was so nice to meet you, dear. Come back please? For the tea.” 

Making a face at his mother, Matthaeu placed a hand on Shilo’s shoulder gently. “…Thank you /mum/. Come on uh, Shilo. We have to get you to your appointment.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Shilo watched as Matt and his mother engaged in their sign language conversation. Even when she couldn’t understand what they were communicating to each other, it was clear Matt was annoyed by his mother’s invitation. Shilo would’ve been a bit offended by that if she wasn’t uncertain how her father was going to react when he found out she snuck out of the house while she explained to him how she found out what was wrong with her. The probability of him forbidding her from ever seeing Matt and his mother again was greater than any other outcome, even if he allowed her to live her life outside of her bedroom. 

On the flip side, the doctors might not be able to find anything conclusive, and she’d just have to go back home and pretend this night had never happened while once again doomed to being housebound and lonely forever. This could really be her last time she ever saw them, and the last time she had ever been outside (save for her mother’s tomb). 

Taking one last glance down at the cats around her feet, she let out a sigh. If there was one thing she had learned tonight, is that her father was wrong. Wrong about the whole world and every living being in it being cruel. Even if her father locked her up after she returned from this trip, he couldn’t keep her there forever, Nathan was going to have to realize that. Soon she’ll be eighteen and legally able to leave the house and go out on her own. 

After this trip, things were going to change. This trip should be enough proof to show her father that she’s capable of taking care of herself, by taking initiative to search for the answers she’s been needing and being out and about without needing the protection of her father. She could only hope she won’t have a fainting spell on the way to the appointment. 

She was broken out of her trance when she felt Matt’s hand on her shoulder, ushering her out. She simply lifted a hand to wave at Dolores as the two left. 

**Author's Note:**

> By the way, if you'd like a better idea of what Matt looks like, here's some (old) art I made of him (with Shilo hehe)! https://sta.sh/04qw2c2o3nl
> 
> The only difference is that I found out he doesn't actually have that many freckles. oops. hahaha


End file.
